Kerala - Kochi   

Fish workers seek loan waiver

KOCHI: Fish workers’ unions in Ernakulam district on Thursday urged the Assembly’s Select Committee to get their loans, irrespective of their source, written off by the government.

About 250 fish workers as well as union representatives showed up at the hearing organised by the committee at the Sreenarayana Saamoohya Seva Sangham Hall at Edavanakkad on Vypeen island to express their views on the proposed Kerala Fishermen’s Debt Relief Commission Bill 2007.

Fisheries Minister S. Sarma, eight MLAs, officials from the Fisheries Department and district administration attended the sitting. Kochi being the hub of fishing and fishworkers’ unions in the State, the turnout was remarkably large when compared to the sittings held in other districts so far, an official pointed out.The Bill proposes to set up a four-member commission, with a retired High Court judge as chairman, to suggest solutions to the debt crisis in the fishing sector and also to get the debts cleared through negotiations and other means, including write-off.

Most of the fish workers and union leaders wanted the loans taken from commercial banks, cooperative societies, Matsyafed, pawn brokers and individual lenders written off.

Some of them wanted housing loans taken by the fish workers to be waived too. Most speakers appreciated the government’s initiative to solve the debt crisis by introducing a Bill that provides for setting up of the commission.

One of the suggestions made at the sitting was to set up a bank, with a paid-up capital of Rs. 100 crore, exclusively for the fishing sector.

Fish workers wanted the government to launch a housing scheme for them with Rs. 2 lakh as aid and also to support their children’s studies.

Charles George, State president of Kerala Matsyathozhilali Aikya Vedi, wanted the Bill to cover not only individual fish workers but groups which have borrowed money to buy boats. For instance, he pointed out that there more than 50 large inboard boats owned by groups of fishermen. Close to 3,000 fishermen made a living out of these boats, Mr. George said. He wanted the quantum of debt to be written off by the commission to be enhanced from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 10 lakhs. He also called for increasing the number of the commission to be raised from four to five or seven and to include more representatives of fish workers. The committee asked the unions and individual fish workers to fill a questionnaire and send it across to the committee by the end of the month so that the more important suggestions could be incorporated in the Bill.

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